By the time I was cognitively functional, I had walked myself into a large cavern opening about the size of a soccer field. Multiple dark tunnels of varying sizes lead into the arena-like room from the opposite end and faint hints of growling came from at least a few of them. I attempted to move but my joints were still locked up by whatever shenanigans they pulled on me.
[Danger Detected]
Guess I'm not out of death's doorstep just yet.
"Did you get it working yet Saphie?" voices came from above, and I could see the unfortunately familiar three fairies sitting on a wooden balcony way above me, they were as large as a small child this time. The place they were seated on seems to be a wooden observation deck of some sorts. The deep scratch marks across the railings sent a shiver down my spine.
"Yes of course, how many times do you think I had to see the abomination do it?"
"Guys I'm really not sure..." the green fairy, Emma, reluctantly mumbled.
"It will be fine Emma, if the Sorceress isn't lying this should actually be too easy for him, but I guess I should give him this." the red fairy conjured a white book out of nowhere and threw it at me. I issued a command to dodge, but my limbs disobeyed me, and it clocked me in the head. I tried to yell in pain, but of course that didn't work either.
"Ruby, he can't move." Emma pointed out.
"Ah whoops," the red fairy, Ruby, waved her hands with the same red energy I saw before.
"Be free."
I fell over and clutched my head, "What the hell was that for?" More than a little pissed off.
"Oh, the Manolor is angry, scary~" the blue fairy, Saphie, mocked me with a smile on her face, "Save your breath, you'll need it."
Almost on cue I heard a roar in the tunnel on the far right.
"Ohhh, a Ractor, this should be fun to watch." Saphie's eyes lit up, anticipating a blood bath no doubt.
[Ractor/Large Herbivorous Creature/Native to Borowood]
Oh, that doesn't sound too bad.
[Dangerous even to the deadliest of predators]
Ah, I spoke too soon.
I grabbed my Angel's Record and rapidly flipped through it trying to see if it would have any functions that are remotely useful. But it seemed to only contain an exaggerated description of my past few days.
[Our Glorious Hero, wounded but not broken, faces off against an enraged beast of the wild!]
No, no, I am definitely broken at this point.
"Useless, pieces of..."
I was cut off by a second roar, much closer this time. Thundering hooves shook the earth below me and I saw an armored moose-like creature the size of a small car charging directly at me.
By some miracle I managed to get my legs to propel me sideways. The beast slammed into the earthen wall, purple tipped antlers impaling into the stone rending it asunder. The fate of any who would stand against its powerful stampede was reflected in the sorry state of the crumbling wall. A cloud of dust momentarily hides me from its gaze as I contemplated my next moves.
Can I get it to topple the observation deck? No, it's too high up.
Can I get it to fall over? Nothing in this arena to trip it.
Can I run? Possibly, the exit is likely within one of those dark tunnels but if I pick wrong, I'll just get impaled.
[Enraged status caused by parasite attached to underbelly]
Can I get it to tire out and calm it down? Possibly, if I can keep dodging it, I might have a chance.
Can I get the fairies to help? A glance at the observation deck revealed a red fairy gawking with a gleeful look and a blue fairy staring with distain. The green fairy was nowhere to be found.
Not likely then.
I moved towards the tunnels, aiming to bait the beast into charging into one to give myself some time.
I was about halfway across when the dust settled and the Ractor prepared to charge once more. I readied myself to jump.
A rumbling filled the cavern as the Ractor picked up speed. Purple tips threatened to shred me to bits, and it took all my self-control and a little insanity to keep my feet planted on the ground.
Now!
I leapt sideways as far as I could, but my injured leg didn't perform as well as I hoped, and the beast managed to slam me with the back of its antlers when it whisked its head my way. As I hit the wall like a rag doll, I could hear a couple of bones breaking under the momentum. To make matters worse, the beast stopped itself before it charged into a tunnel.
"Oh, looks like he's done for. Well, it was fun while it lasted."
If my fated end is being run over some random animal in a weird cavern being jeered at by some stupid talking mosquitos, then it truly is a laughable way to go.
I grabbed the wall with one hand and clutched the Angel's Record with the other and pulled my shattered body upwards, shades of dark red stained the wall in my effort.
"FINE!"
Oh, good my lungs still worked.
"YOU IRRITATING MOSQUITOS WANT ME DEAD, YOU'LL GET YOUR WISH!" Raw, unbridled rage emerged from the pit of my soul.
"BUT I AIN'T GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!" I held the book in front of me with quivering fingers, surely an otherworldly item can inflict some damage, right?
Perhaps the death throes of a human were an uncommon sight, because both the fairies and even the Ractor looked rather shocked. If I were smart, I would use this chance to look for a way out of the situation.
But I was done with running.
"COME AT ME YOU COWARD!"
Snapping out of its confusion, the Ractor readied to charge once more.
[In the hour of despair our Hero bound the creature with chains of light]
[Magic acquired: Release Lightning]
A robotic echo in my head, floating words in front of my face, and amidst the untimely but welcome messages, the thunderous hooves of the Ractor seconds away in front of me.
A little late to the party you two.
"BIND!" acting on instinct alone, I roared out the word with as much force as my voice could muster.
The Beast kicked up dirt and stone and it aimed to kill, but I held the book in front,
believing, despite all logic telling me otherwise, that this beast would stop.
And stop it did.
Two bulky, misshapen, pure white chains shot out from behind the beast, wrapping around the legs of the creature. The blade tipped fronts of the chain dug themselves into the cavern floor and refused to budge. The beast growled in dissatisfaction as the antlers were halted moments before skewering my throat.
A few short seconds of silence as I raised my other hand, which crackled with a purple intensity.
I swung my hands upwards and aimed it.
Right at the observation deck.
"RELEASE!"
Electric shot out towards the fairies, before being repelled skyward into the ceiling.
"Impressive." Ruby commented, "I didn't know humans were capable of such feats of magic. Those chains are especially remarkable."
"Then I'll let you take a closer look!" at my command, a chain shot from the ground and pierced into the underside of the wooden platform, triggering an even colder glare from Saphie.
"Haha, you missed." Ruby began, leaning over the edge to get a closer look at me, "Now, I understand you're a little upset at us for pulling the prank but how about you just... Calm Down."
Sickly sweet voices entered my ears, but pain echoed far louder than the words she spoke.
[Skill acquired: Thundering Fury]
Interface, are these chains conductive?
[Magical conductivity is optimal]
"I didn't miss."
Electric currents scorched my hand red as I sent the energy surging forwards up the chains into the observation deck. At first nothing happened, but I heard a light flop. Saphie had fallen over, presumably from electrocution and Ruby was fluttering down from the deck, about to impale herself on the antlers of the Ractor.
I could let it happen, but in all my burning anger even I knew that would take it too far. As the anger left the torrential pain came rushing back. Everything burned like I had taken a nap in magma.
"Chain..." I cried out weakly.
[Maximum usage reached]
"You've got to be kidding me."
I dragged the broken remnants of my body onto the head of the beast and gripped the antlers for support. It gave a loud huff, and I could hear its powerful muscles trying to move. I had a sneaking suspicion these chains wouldn't last.
As the fairy fluttered down, I caught her above the antlers and sluggishly inched myself off the beast.
"I'm sorry..." I mumbled, unsure of who the recipient for those words were.